Or is the NFL on field product absolutely terrible now? I have an appointment every week to watch the Steelers, but I struggle to get into the other games because it's really just a bad brand of football.

I don't even think it's just the refs...by and large the actual football being played is pure shit. Games are sloppy. Teams are just bad. Even some "good" teams look mediocre.

It's really gotten pretty boring to watch.

Basketball might overtake it in popularity. I feel like baseball is also making a comeback.

Ratings & attendance in the NBA have been trending down as well in recent years. You can thank the extreme lack of parity in the NBA for that.Baseball is struggling mightily to attract younger viewers.

Soccer has been growing over the last few decades, but until the US National Team figures its shit out it will play second fiddle to the Big 4.

At the end of the day, I think the issue with all the major sports leagues is that they're taking the customer for granted. At some point, people will stop paying insane amounts of money for merchandise, and people will stop tuning into games that feature 50% commercials...all while the product on the field declines in quality. It seems like the focus of these leagues is to extract money from people, rather than focusing on putting a quality product on the field.

The refs and their inability to call a game right or the video evidence of some fuck sitting in a control room in NY or scripted outcomes some say; whatever the fuck is the reason or maybe a small piece of everything, the NFL is not the game I grew up loving and that makes me sad in the pants.

At the end of the day, I think the issue with all the major sports leagues is that they're taking the customer for granted. At some point, people will stop paying insane amounts of money for merchandise, and people will stop tuning into games that feature 50% commercials...all while the product on the field declines in quality. It seems like the focus of these leagues is to extract money from people, rather than focusing on putting a quality product on the field.

It's a combination of the league and the players. The league wants to make more $$ but they also need part of it to pay the players more. As much as I love the game, the dollar amounts the players get is simply crazy.

It's professional football. Pro sports are first and foremost about the money...from the players to the coaches, owners, and league execs. If that bothers you, and you want to watch the game simply because you love the game, go to a local, small high school game. You'll love it!